1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to scanning devices and scanning methods, more particularly, to a code scanning device available for a biochemical analyzer and a code scanning method using the same.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
At present, code scanning devices are widely applied in various instruments, such as biochemical analyzers for scanning codes of specimens/reagents, and can automatically input information of specimens/reagents (e.g., bar codes). In typical biochemical analyzers or published patent documents, the code scanning devices mainly utilize one of three code scanning models as follows: a static scanning model, a dynamic scanning model, and a combination thereof.
A typical static scanning model includes the following steps. A specimen/reagent table of a biochemical analyzer is driven to rotate so that a given code to be tested moves to a scanning position. The given code having information of the specimen/reagent to be registered can be read out by a code scanner in the biochemical analyzer. A control unit of the biochemical analyzer transmits an action command to the code scanner. The code scanner scans the given code when the given code is still.
FIG. 1 illustrates a time schedule graph of scanning the given code. A test-tube in a supporting member (i.e., the specimen/reagent table) takes moving time Mt to move from a waiting position to a scanning position. When the specimen/reagent table stops movement, i.e., the code is still, the control unit transmits an action command to the code scanner so that the code scanner works from an off state. When the code scanner scans the code for a certain period Rt, the control unit transmits a command of ending the scanning to the code scanner so as to stop scanning the given code, thereby completing this current scanning period. Then, the control unit controls the specimen/reagent table to rotate so that a next given code is shifted to the scanning position, thereby being ready for a next scanning process.
A typical dynamic scanning model includes the following steps. A specimen/reagent table is driven to rotate so that the given code to be tested moves to the scanning position. The control unit transmits an action command to the code scanner. The code scanner scans the given code when the given code is moving.
FIG. 2 illustrates a time schedule graph of scanning the given code using the dynamic scanning model. The test-tube in the supporting member (i.e., the specimen/reagent table) takes moving time Mt to move from the waiting position to the scanning position. The code scanner takes scanning time Rt to scan the code. When the code scanner scans the code for a certain time, the control unit transmits a command of ending the scanning to the code scanner so as to stop scanning the given code, thereby completing this current scanning period. Then, the control unit controls the specimen/reagent table to rotate so that a next given code is shifted to the scanning position, thereby being ready for a next scanning process.
A typical dynamic and static scanning combined model has properties of the static scanning model and the dynamic scanning model. The dynamic and static scanning combined model includes the following steps. The specimen/reagent table is driven to rotate so that the given code to be tested moves to the scanning position. When the code is moving, the code scanner scans the given code. When the specimen/reagent table arrives at the scanning position and then is still, i.e., the code is also still, the code scanner keeps on scanning the code for a certain time.
FIG. 3 illustrates a time schedule of scanning the given code using the dynamic and static scanning combined model. The test-tube in the supporting member (i.e., the specimen/reagent table) takes the moving time Mt to move from the waiting position to the scanning position. The code scanner takes the scanning time Rt for scanning the code. The code scanner scans the given code when the given code is moving. The control unit transmits an action command to the code scanner before the code is still, i.e., during the moving of the code. Thereby, the code scanner begins to scan the code. When the code is still, the code scanner keeps on scanning the code for a certain time. After the code scanner scans the code for total scanning time Rt, the control unit transmits a command of ending the scanning to the code scanner so as to stop scanning the code, thereby completing this current scanning period. Then, the control unit controls the specimen/reagent table to rotate so that a next given code is shifted to the scanning position, thereby being ready for a next scanning process.
In the three methods, the scanning period is constant. That is, the scanning time in each scanning process is constant. Generally, the scanning period is defined to be relatively longer, in order to ensure that the code scanner has stable scanning performance. However, when the code scanner successfully scans the code and transmits data information of the code to the control unit and the control unit determines that the data information is correct, the code scanner still keeps on scanning the code until the constant scanning period is over. Thus, the scanning time is unduly increased, the speed of inputting information into the biochemical analyzer is lowered, and the service life of the code scanner is reduced.